


The Journey of A Blessed One

by pan2fel



Series: Of Beasts And Men [1]
Category: Final Fantasy XV, Final Fantasy XV: Kingsglaive
Genre: (lies all lies), Alternate Universe - Shapeshifters, Gen, How to become a shifter in 10 easy steps, Hurt No Comfort, Pre-Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV, Rituals, Young Coeurl, making the best out of incoherent canon information, nyxulricweek2018
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-09
Updated: 2018-05-09
Packaged: 2019-05-04 09:01:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,550
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14589576
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pan2fel/pseuds/pan2fel
Summary: Prequel to Petrichor. Can be read as stand-alone.This is my contribution to Day 3 of theNyx Ulric Week 2018, exploring Nyx before the Kingsglaive, focusing more on the AU's background.---Nobody is born into the shift and those who have taken the journey don't talk about it. So what does it take to tame the beast?





	The Journey of A Blessed One

Nyx was born with the mark of the storm on his cheek and he was one of many. He learnt early on that it was a journey, given to him by the storm, that he might one day have to make. He was only a few years old when he had a vision of the coeurl for the first time. It was young, just as he was, still fluffy and chubby, stumbling across the street. Its eyes met his own from a distance, before it vanished again. He didn't know what to make of it, but the coeurl became part of his life. There were stories among his people about great warriors taking on the challenge set before them, coming back more powerful and strong. They had become one with the beast. As Nyx grew up between the marked and blessed people of Galahd it became inherently clear that the journey changed people. They went down in history as the blessed ones. Not everyone who was born with the mark was invited on his journey, however, not everyone who was, made it through to the other end. But people rarely spoke about this. It was an honour to be blessed and anyone who reached the point to follow the coeurl, took that journey. Nobody who made it back talked about it. It seemed to be an unwritten law and was seed for a lot of rumours.

Over the years Nyx grew used to the coeurl. It came and went, never staying too long. They went through their childhood together, never touching, but always close. He didn't know what qualified someone to begin the journey, only that you would know when you were ready. Legends and stories only prepared him so much. Libertus and he had tried to trigger it by playing daring games through the Galahdian valley, proving their bravery and worth to the storm, only to realize later on that they mistook recklessness for valour. It didn't stop them from daring each other, but they started to accept that they needed to be patient. No amount of force would get them their ticket.

As Nyx kept going through early adulthood, his coeurl stayed. He had tried engaging it once or twice, but merely the thought made it vanish into nothingness. He didn't try again, too afraid to spoil his chance at ever making contact. His life went on. In the year he turned seventeen a lot of changes happened. He finished school and opened a bar with Libertus. It felt easy and necessary, the constant threat of the Niflheim empire keeping them from doing anything else. The resistance was growing and their bar became the center of it all. It was also the year King Regis founded the Kingsglaives. Nobody left Galahd. They hadn't seen hostiles in the long years since the wall had retreated, thus nobody felt it necessary to surrender. They were strong and determined, the shifters among them more powerful than any threat they had encountered in the long years of their history. They still listened to the news.

Seventeen became the year the coeurl decided to advance. It came closer now, felt more real with each week that passed. Sometimes the visions lasted for hours, others only for seconds and Nyx wasn't sure what opened the pathway in the end. The signs had been increasing over the past few days and he wasn't surprised when it happened.

The coeurl was staring at him from across the street, patiently waiting and Nyx knew: this was it. Contrary to all the times he had wished for it to start, he now actually felt ready. Their eyes met and for the first time since he saw the small cub, he took in his features, his eye colour, his whole being. The mark on their cheek was the same, connecting the physical with the spiritual realm in one single point. Excitement started to crawl through his veins, making him jittery with anticipation as he stepped in to the street late at night. The coeurl got up and turned around, leading him out of the city and towards the sea. Nobody ever took the same path, every journey was different, only the outcome stayed the same.

They walked for what seemed like hours, but Nyx only had eyes for the beast in front of him. They were both on the steps to adulthood, not yet fully grown, but responsible enough to live their own life and to make their own decisions. Although, Nyx suspected that the coeurl had been on its own all along. He didn't really know. It gave him time to think as he hiked behind the graceful beast, following its footsteps. This was the part of the journey nobody ever talked about, this was the part everybody had told him he had to make on his own. So he followed, unsure what would be expected of him at the end.

They followed the river down to the sea and soft grasslands got slowly replaced by the rocky, lush canyon of Galahd's river. The coeurl kept going and it didn't stop until the stony and rough grounds gave away to the soft, sandy shore. As they reached their destination and he took a look around. The sea to their right, trees and light vegetation to their left. The coeurl had sat down in the middle of the sandy shore, baring its teeth, growling slightly. It was the first sound it had ever made and Nyx took a tentative step. Another growl was all he got and then the coeurl attacked. For a split second Nyx thought he had misunderstood, that this wasn't his coeurl and that this wasn't his journey, for the moment it took him to raise his arm as a shield, he doubted himself. The impact knocked him to the ground, the coeurl biting down heavily into his arm, coming to a rest on his chest. Silence extended over the clearing, not even the sea dared to breath, as they stared into each other's eyes. The same greyish blue, like his own, stared back at him and the feeling of belonging and yearning washed over him. Was he supposed to fight? Did he have to defeat the coeurl in order to complete his journey? Was this his great challenge? A fight in their natural form, hands against claws and teeth? Something wet hit his face and he broke eye contact, eyes flicking to the arm still trapped in the coeurl's jaws. Black blood was oozing down his arm and for a second he worried that he was turning into a daemon.

The moment shattered as determination and survival instinct took over and Nyx started to fight. He had no intention of dying on his journey, he had no intention of leaving his mother and sister alone, he had no intention of giving in. And if he had to defeat the beast in order to return home, he would kill it with his own hands. He bared his teeth and hit the coeurl onto the side of its head, while simultaneously kicking out from under him, throwing it off. It flew away, teeth ripping down his arm as it let go. He had barely any time to get his feet under him when the beast attacked again. But this time he was prepared, using its momentum to fling it away. The coeurl hissed angrily, its whiskers crackling with static and Nyx was glad it wasn't yet fully grown. He ducked away, only to be hit by its tail in the back, making him stumble into the water. Wind had picked up, the water had grown more restless and dark clouds were crowding the sky.

Water splashed as he threw himself against the beast, they tangled and went under, grappling and tearing. Nyx didn't know what was up and down anymore, time stopped existing, while he fought for his life. He kicked it into the ribs, receiving merciless claws to his side that made him stumble and yell in pain, but he didn't give up. With no claws to fight he had to use whatever resources he had. He threw sand into the coeurl's eyes, making it recoil and bound away.

Nyx was panting and heaving, water was running down his face, making his vision blurry and plastering his hair to his head. Rain had started pouring down on them. They stared at each other. The coeurl's fur was wet, just as he was, and its tail was swishing aggressively. Nyx wondered if this was what everyone had to go through. Was this what the small, young woman had to go through, fighting for her life? Or the boy who had met his coeurl so incredibly early?

He squinted against the sun and looked back to his coeurl, it was prowling and pouncing, waiting for the right opportunity. Nyx clenched his jaws, tensing his shoulders in anticipation. He was bleeding black ooze from multiple gashes by now. The coeurl on the other hand looked rumpled but fine, its white, dotted coat dirty. They circled each other, eyes never leaving, assessing the situation.

Nyx went in first this time, trying to use his height over the still slender form of the young coeurl to make it submit to his superiority, make it surrender, while the coeurl tried to do the same. One of its whiskers hit him in the back, letting him fly across the beach, hitting the ground and rolling a few more feet before he came to a painful stop. His limbs were still twitching from the aftermath shocks, making it hard for him to draw a breath. Nyx felt drained. The fight had been going on for so long that exhaustion was slowly taking over his movements. He rolled onto his back with a groan before stumbling to his feet, swaying slightly. The rain and storm made it hard to see and he had to squint against the dark, only barely making out the white, blurry form of his coeurl slowly advancing. He barely noticed it jump, when the impact hit him back down again. An angry snarl eliciting from its throat as he hit its snout and they both went down in a tangle of limbs. For long moments they fought for the upper hand, rolling over the wet sand, never sure who would be on top in the deciding moment. They were both tired and Nyx felt the feeling of belonging and yearning fade slowly, the connection only seconds away from shattering and breaking. A whine escaped both of them at the same time, making them stop in surprise in their current position. The coeurl on top of Nyx, teeth already grazing his neck, while he desperately tried to keep it off by the horns adorning its face. Their eyes met, searching each other for an answer none of them had. His hands slipped on the wet horns and the coeurl's teeth found their mark more on accident than anything else. Nyx screamed at the pain, his feet trying to find purchase against the floor, his whole body bucking against the weight of the coeurl, as he tried to get it off in pure desperation. He must have hit a sore spot as the coeurl yelped and skittered away.

Dark spots danced in front of his eyes and he struggled to sit up, pressing his hand against his neck with a pained whimper. It thundered in the distance.

"I don't want to fight you," he yelled over the storm, lightning crackling over them, emphasizing his words and the coeurl threw an angry roar back at him. Nyx didn't know how to interpret it, but his free hand clenched into a fist. "Aren't we supposed to be one? Aren't we supposed to be equal? How are we supposed to live with each other, if one suppresses the other?" Desperation had made its way into his voice, the words directed at the sky and the storm, while his life-force slowly left him. The brittle connection with his coeurl now painfully obvious. This was his coeurl, not just some random enemy. His coeurl! The storm didn't offer an answer. Their eyes met again and understanding crossed their mind. This was not a fight against each other, but against themselves, had been for all their life. They exhaled together. Nyx slowly got to his feet, his shoulders were hunched, his hand came away black, but he gathered the last of his reserves and straightened, walking tall. The coeurl circled around itself, as if unsure what to do, before bounding away a few feet, bringing more distance between them. It turned around, facing Nyx and started to run. Nyx's feet followed as they advanced at each other. With each leap and each bound the connection grew stronger, with each step and each thud, they felt as one, they breathed as one and a tingling sensation grew over his body. The coeurl took a leap and for a moment Nyx felt the exhilaration and freedom, smelt the salt of the sea and the petrichor of the rain. They met head on, the coeurl crashing into his chest, but instead of crashing to the ground together, it shattered in a million, blue crystals of light, dancing around Nyx before they settled onto his skin, piercing and biting and sinking. He took a stumbling step to the left, feet hitting water, but he didn't notice. His whole being was overwhelmed by the sensation of feeling whole for the first time since he was born, like a missing piece had clicked into place, connecting him to a part of power, that had been his all along. His hand reached up to his chest, a choking sound escaped his throat as his knees buckled and he fell to the sand.

His nerves tingled almost painfully as his world shrunk to a single, small dot, before exploding in a myriad of shards, encasing the whole world like he knew it, but so much more. He slowly fell to the side, as new sensory impressions overwhelmed him, smells grew stronger, sounds grew louder and more intense. He rolled onto his back with a goan, and when he came back onto his arms and legs on the other side, his whiskers bristled with static, his hairs stood up and a roar tore out of his throat. Thunder greeted him.

He didn't know how long he spent in the shift and it didn't matter. They were one and they ran as one, breathed as one and thought as one. His paws hitting the ground with a distinct thud in one step, while he felt the grass under his feet in the next, the loud roar of the beast was followed by calm exhale of human lungs, the crackling electricity was met with the laughter of his own.

He came back to himself far up the river, kneeling on the rocky shore. The storm had passed, sun was shining into his face. He felt calm and centered, the coeurl inside of him content. His gaze fell down his arm, instead of teeth marks and open wounds, instead of scars and ripped skin, all he found were thin black lines, trailing down his fingers. They had been blessed and survived.

**Author's Note:**

> Again, betaed by Jo, because I would be lost without her.  
> Come find me on [tumblr](https://whumpershaven.tumblr.com) to chat.


End file.
